Backyard Stargazer for August 2017
By Francis Parnell
It’s August, and millions of people are excited about the 21st! Me too!!
On the evening of the 2nd, spot yellow Saturn about 4-degres lower left of the waxing gibbous Moon.
The gibbous Moon is above the spout in the Teapot of Sagittarius on the 3rd. That’s about where the Sun is at the December Solstice.
One hour before sunrise on the 16th, look for “ALDEBARAN”, the eye of Taurus, about 2-degrees to the right of the waning crescent Moon.
At dawn on he 19th, look for a thin crescent Moon 5-degrees below bright Venus, low in the east.
The 21st! New Moon at 2:30 p.m. Total Solar Eclipse in SC!!
At dusk on the 25th, the waxing crescent Moon, Jupiter, and “SPICA”, the brightest star in Virgo, the Virgin, form a triangle low in the west-southwest.
The 1st quarter Moon is to the right or upper right of the ringed planet Saturn on the 29th. On the 30th, the Moon is to the upper left of Saturn.
Following SCORPIUS in the Zodiac, this month let’s explore the constellation of SAGITTARIUS, the Archer. Using the star chart you’ll notice that you can trace out a perfect “Teapot.” On the first day of winter the Sun is just 7-degrees above the spout. Under a dark sky, the steam rising from the spout is the Milky Way! Far beyond the foreground stars of Sagittarius is the center of our galaxy, 25,000 light-years away. What we see is the combined light of billions of stars that we can’t see individually. For small telescope or binocular users with a good star chart, Sagittarius is loaded with deep sky objects that will keep you busy for hours!
A reminder about the total solar eclipse on the 21st. Observing the Sun without the proper safe solar filters, solar eclipse glasses, or using the Pinhole Projection method, can cause severe and permanent eye injury, including blindness. Even if you don’t own a telescope or binoculars, DO NOT STARE AT THE SUN thinking you can watch it safely during the partial phase. You can’t! This goes for adults, and especially kids! Only during the brief period of totality can we safely look at the fully eclipsed Sun with our naked eyes.
If you can’t travel to where the Sun is totally eclipsed, Francis Marion University is holding a safe public viewing session from noon to 3:30 p.m. at the baseball stadium at Griffin Athletic Complex. Arrive early! Bring lunch and water. Handouts will be safe solar eclipse glasses and solar viewing cards. In the Darlington/Florence area the Sun is 99.8 percent covered.
Clear skies for the eclipse, and “Keep looking up!”
Francis Parnell of Darlington has been an amateur astronomer for over 46 years, and was on the staff and helped out at the Francis Marion University Observatory from 1982 until 2006 by showing visitors “what’s out there.” With the help of a friend, Mr. Ernest Lowry, he built his own telescope in 1986. And, because of light pollution, for the last 31 years he has been advocating for the advantages of using fully shielded lighting at night.
